Tales of the Line of Durin
by Aranel Mereneth
Summary: Random series of one-shots exploring the lives of the Line of Durin. Mostly focussing on Thorin, Dis, Kili and Fili. Lots of fluff, family feels and a hint of Botfa denial.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey guys! Long time no see :P I've been meaning to write a Hobbit centred story for quite some time now, and I've finally gotten around to it! Yayyyy! Prepare for lots of dwarf Durin family feels and Uncle Thorin being all fluffy (because I'm forever in denial about BOTFA… nope not ready for December at all). _

_I'm not entirely sure about how many chapters this will be… it's mainly just a series of random one-shots focussing mostly on Fili, Kili, Dis and Thorin. I've also borrowed the name Vili (as Fili and Kili's father)._

_Please remember to drop in a quick review at the end; it would be highly appreciated :)_

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><p><strong>Thorin Nose-nshield<strong>

Thorin Oakenshield pulled his fur coat tighter around his shoulders, attempting to shield himself from the small snowflakes gradually floating down, littering the ground with silver specks. The exiled dwarf king sniffed and spying his sister's abode ahead, increased the pace of his strides. His fingers reached into the pocket of his trousers and he fumbled with the keys inside, a light jingling sound reaching his ears as he removed them from his pocket and inserted them into the keyhole. The old wooden door creaked open noisily, announcing his arrival. The dwarf had barely made it two steps into the house before the pitter-patter of tiny feet sounded down the hallway.

"Uncle Thorin, you're back!" a young voice cried. Thorin shrugged off his furs and with a grin and a playful growl, grabbed the seven year old dwarfling and swung him around up into his arms. The child laughed gleefully and beamed down at his uncle's face, wiping a spot of snow from his nose.

"I missed you Uncle," the boy stated solemnly.

Thorin smiled gently and ran his right hand over his eldest nephew's blonde locks. "As did I, my lad," his voice rumbled quietly in response as he tilted his forehead forward to tap against his nephew's.

Walking further into the house with Fili in his arms, Thorin entered the lounge room to find the remainder of his family huddled on a plush sofa in front of the fireplace. The room was simply furnished yet still exuded an air of comfort. The line of Durin had struggled much since the fall of Erebor, however years of hard labour, cold winters, partially empty stomachs and sleepless nights had finally paid off, allowing the new generation of dwarflings to begin their lives without experiencing the extreme struggles of the older exiled dwarves of Erebor.

The king's sister glanced up and grinned at her brother. "Thorin!" she exclaimed, bouncing up from her seat, eyes bright with joy. "We did not expect you till next week! I am glad you have returned. I trust you achieved the purpose of your journey? Oh but come, you must be chilled to the bone and who knows how long you have gone without a decent meal! We all know both your and Dwalin's cooking skills to be frankly, horrendous. You should seriously consider learning so you do not accidentally poison yourself one day, brother. And - "

"Dis, the poor creature just got home not two minutes ago and you've already talked his ear off," the older blonde dwarrow laughed, rocking a small bundle in his arms. Vili, son of Mali, was a merry, handsome dwarf that had won both Thorin and Dis' respect and friendship upon their arrival at Ered Luin. Many spoke of Fili's strong resemblance to his father, but upon closer inspection, it was obvious that although Fili's hair colouring was a copy of his father Vili's, the dwarfling possessed the strong nose, blue eyes and personality of the house of Durin.

Dis huffed and rolled her eyes, cheeks flushing a light pink hue. Thorin chuckled and opened his arms, both siblings moving to warmly embrace each other. Dis buried her nose into Thorin's blue tunic as he placed a chaste kiss to the top of her long, dark hair. Dis usually kept it in a single braid flowing down her back, but tonight she had left it unbound, allowing the raven waves to tumble elegantly down her shoulders.

The siblings separated as a wail sounded from Vili's arms. Fili wriggled down from his Uncle's hold and scampered over to his father, peering down at the bundle and cooing softly. Dis made her way into the kitchen to begin dinner and Thorin lowered himself onto the sofa beside Vili. Vili grinned at his brother-in-law and carefully deposited the tiny bundle of blankets into Thorin's arms. Thorin smiled softly down at his youngest nephew, who in turn scrunched up his face, dark eyes squinting up at the large dwarf… and then promptly sneezed right on to his uncle's face.

Fili and Vili laughed madly as Thorin grimaced and wiped his face with the edge of his sleeve. He ran a large finger down the baby's soft, round cheek and tapped his button nose. "That was not very proper for a prince, little one," he reprimanded, his tone tinged with amusement. Kili bestowed his uncle with a toothless grin and reached his small, chubby arms up to grab hold of the tip of Thorin's nose.

Thorin sighed and rolled his eyes. "I will never understand the fascination you and your brother have about my nose," he addressed the baby resting in his large hands.

"It's because they're amazed at how a separate town could dwell in those ridiculously large nostrils of yours, my lord," Vili smirked. Thorin glared at his sister's husband as he heard Dis' laughter from the kitchen.

"I could have you severely punished for that," Thorin grumbled, "insulting your king in such a careless manner."

Vili tossed his head back and flicked his hand in dismissal. "I'd like to see you try, brother," the blonde dwarf replied nonchalantly, pulling Fili into his lap.

Thorin sighed and looked back down at Kili's face, running his fingertips tenderly over the soft tufts of dark hair sprouting from his youngest nephew's head. Unlike his brother, Kili had inherited the dark hair of his mother's side, yet his features and cheeky personality spoke entirely of his father. The babe cooed as he reached up once more, this time to tug, hard, on the ends of his uncle's hair. Thorin winced and began to sway Kili in his arms side to side, hoping to settle the active child. Eventually, Kili yawned and his eyes began to flutter close. He almost looked as if he was asleep…

Until the sound of gas being expelled multiple times sounded through the room, the smell wafting directly up into Thorin's nose.

The dwarf king blinked, expression blank as the entire house cackled with mirth, Kili smiling in content as he drifted off into slumber, cradled in his uncle's arms.

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><p><em>Not the most exciting chapter, I know. I hope it was an okay start though and I look forward to posting up more chapters as soon as I can :)<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Flames**

Lake Town was burning.

The deafening roar of Smaug filled Kili's ears and he trembled in fear as they fled Bard's home, Fili leading at the head of the group, dodging the flames and running for the nearest boat. Kili looked back and spied Tauriel leading Bard's children to safety. The dwarf prince made a silent prayer that the precious young lives would be saved.

A hand grabbed his right shoulder, forcing him to come face to face with his golden-haired brother. Fili nodded once and gently, yet hurriedly pushed his younger brother into the small boat along with Oin and Bofur. Untying the rope from the dock, Fili grabbed the oars and rowed, beads of sweat running down his face and back. The crown prince led the small company away from the devastation occurring before them, glancing over his shoulder every once in a while to check that Kili was lying and resting his leg after the exertion of their escape.

After what seemed like an era, the boat finally reached the shores outside the slopes of Erebor. The four dwarves stared back at the destruction wreaking havoc on Lake Town, the flames burning high into the sky, screams echoing in their ears and the blood of innocent victims burning their eyes.

Kili rose to stand beside his older brother, clinging onto his forearm with desperation. In turn, Fili wrapped his arm around his younger sibling, pulling him close. They had almost died twice that night. Fili had almost lost the most precious thing in his life. Steadying his shaking hands, he inhaled deeply and smoothed a hand over Kili's dark hair, knotted with ash and water, yet still silky to the touch, and kissed the crown of his head as Kili buried his face into Fili's shioulder, still trembling. The flames rose higher into the night, the sky alight with colours of red and gold entwining between clouds of smoke. The brothers' grip on each other tightened.

Fili sighed. He had kept his promise to his mother, to himself, so far; he had kept Kili alive on their quest. He closed his eyes and pressed his nose into his brother's hair, heart aching with the thought that next time, he might not be able to keep his word.

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><p><em>AN: First two chapters in a day! Slightly depressing with all the brotherly feels, I know. But I wanted to try and convey that despite being skilled fighters and encountering many dangers on the quest, Fili and Kili are still young, barely into adulthood according to dwarven years anyway. Please review?_


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